Anthony Hopkins Joins Russell Crowe In Darren Aronofsky's Noah

Ten or fifteen years ago, this next bit of casting news would have been very exciting. These days, we’re not so sure. But Darren Aronofsky confirmed via Twitter that Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins has been added to the growing ensemble of Noah. Now we just have to wait and see which Hopkins shows up.

The Black Swan director used the hash tag “Methuselah Lives” in his Tweet, tipping his hand to Hopkins’ casting. With all due respect to the 74-year-old thespian, he’ll be playing Noah’s grandfather, described by Biblical scholars as the oldest-known individual in the history of the Hebrew Bible. Methuselah dies, according to legend, at the ripe old age of 969. His passing occurs seven days before the beginning of Great Flood, and it was written that God delayed the flood one week so as to provide a proper mourning period for this great and wise leader.

Hopkins joins the already-cast Russell Crowe (as Noah), Jennifer Connelly (as Naameh), Emma Watson (as Ila) and the great Ray Winstone in a so-far unnamed role. On the surface, casting Hopkins in virtually any role should be a home run. But the Oscar winner has a tendency to overact – and devour scenery – when he’s cast in broad, historical dramas. Rent Oliver Stone’s Alexander, Julie Taymor’s Titus or Kenneth Branagh’s recent Thor is you are looking for examples.

However, these performances could just be a function of direction, as Hopkins certainly is capable of subdued performances when it’s necessary. Aronofsky has proven to be an excellent actor’s director, so we’re going to choose to be cautiously excited by the pairing of Crowe and Hopkins. What do you think? Good choice for Methuselah? Let us know your thoughts.